I write about eating disorders as a non expert. My perspective comes from decades of lived experience in addiction, recovery, therapy, observation, and continuous self inquiry. This is not meant to be the leading thought of our time. It is simply my honest attempt to describe what I have seen, lived, and come to understand.
To talk coherently about eating disorders, we first have to establish a normal baseline. A real baseline is not subjective. Preferring bagels over oatmeal is subjective. What is not subjective is biology. Our DNA, organs, chemistry, metabolism, and nervous system follow objective rules shaped by nature. When behavior aligns with this design, it generally supports health and survival. When it deviates, it becomes an adaptation. Some adaptations are helpful and evolutionary. Others are maladaptive and eventually harmful.
Humans are designed to eat clean, whole foods. A mostly plant based diet aligns well with our biology. Small amounts of animal protein are not inherently harmful and are not delirious to health. Even human infancy relies on animal protein in the form of breast milk. That is not a moral issue. It is biological reality. Where disorder begins is not with food choice alone, but with motivation, chemistry, and emotional regulation.
There are also eating related conditions that are not chosen. Allergies, for example, are disorders of chemistry. They are not the norm, but they are part of how some people are built. These are not moral failures. They are biological variations. Eating disorders, however, often emerge from a different place. They tend to arise from anxiety, fear, obsession, trauma, and fractured self esteem. They are rarely about nourishment and often about control, punishment, or escape.
Some eating disorders express as a need to control weight, body shape, or muscle mass. Others show up as self punishment, where food becomes a weapon turned inward. Compulsive junk food binges are often not about pleasure at all. Somewhere below consciousness, the person is satisfying an urge to hurt themselves or numb an overwhelming emotional state.
I personally believe weighing ourselves can become disordered, even though it is sometimes necessary. We live in a world where overeating, highly processed foods, and chronic stimulation push us toward obesity and metabolic breakdown. Corrective tools sometimes become necessary to counteract that. The issue is intent. Are we responding consciously, or are we acting compulsively?
When we eat to change how we feel rather than to nourish ourselves, and when we rely on intoxicating foods, excessive caffeine, or constant stimulation to regulate our emotional state, we are no longer eating. We are medicating. That is where eating crosses into addiction.
Addictive behavior is dysfunctional because it carries real risk. It is not compassionate. It does not align with our natural drive to live, thrive, and feel at ease in our bodies. Addiction always progresses. Left unchecked, it narrows our lives, damages our health, and eventually collapses under its own weight.